Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials

Someone has been nice enough to scan all of the alien illustrations HERE (four pages), though without the detailed background information.

I grew up with this book, though it took me an embarrassingly long time to understand that each alien came from a different novel or short story, since kids don't really read author forwards. Barlowe's goal was to depict some of the most interesting literary aliens as accurately as possible for the first time.

Some of my favorites;


The dangling strips of flesh cause hallucinations when ingested by another Cygnostik, a part of their eerie religious rituals.


The little tick-like thing is the male!


I've read a couple books in the same series as Star Surgeon, the single Cinruss is a recurring character. He likes spaghetti.


Yeah, it looks cute, but it's also a ten foot tall energy-based parasitoid.


Giant, boulder-like mollusks who reproduce by devouring other species. Haven't read the story it's from, but I found this delightful summary:

"Eddie Fretts, opera singer and momma’s boy, and his mother are stranded on a alien planet where they are captured by hill-sized immobile gastropods. Eddie’s communication and accommodation with his captor is fascinating and brings a new meaning to the Stockholm Syndrome."

Awwww.

Guess who

OH SHI-

Yep, the thing's "true form" from the original book...or maybe just an alien it had been imitating.

I heard rumors that would be integrated into the new Thing film. Not that exact design, but definitely blue, three-eyed alien corpses.

Would this be a WAYNE Barlowe we're talking here? Just want to make sure. The man practically introduced me to aliens who are actually ALIEN.

I've been trying to find Barlowe's other book Expedition at local book stores. Every where I go they don't have it D:

Expedition is out of print and sells used for up to a hundred dollars :[

^^You couldn't tell from the style?

I love coiling bodies <3

Well, I just wanted confirmation. Plus, it seems there's some stylistic change from the works seen here and his art for the creatures of Darwin IV. Unless there isn't actually and I'm just a dumbass. Which is a very likely possibility.

It looks like some that belong in some kind of wacky children's show. That is why i like it so much.

I'd watch a show with that thing in it. Preferably as the protagonist.

Well, Darwin IV was his all-original world with creatures designed to look like they evolved separate from life on our own, while these are aliens from other Author's stories.

There were also ten years between this book and Expedition

And that just about explains it. Hooray for developing art styles!

I also love that book--I was first introduced to it as a wee lad when my older sister brought it home from the high school library.

He's also got another similar art book of fantasy creatures from various literary sources that's worth checking out.

Oh wow. A picture of the Thing that's "normal."

When I was reading about the new movie the other day, they said we would get to see the Thing's "original" form. Or, at least the form it came to Antarctica in. I don't know if that means this or not, but either way it's exciting. I'm excited.

The only ones I recognize are the Thing (duh), the -Elder- Thing (double duh), and...

See, it's one of those guys from the spacing guild. You know, from Dune. They eat spice and then they fold space and stuff. It's pretty cool.

Don't know why he didn't just draw the damn worms, though...

Oh, and I also found this:

Which is the spitting image of a creature my best friend convinced his nephew exists, called the "dog with hands."

The story was they were outside and heard some dogs barking, and were walking to his "designer van/house" thing that he lives in, and he started talking about how the dogs were going to eat him or something. So they run back, and rush inside while he's all "oh no the dogs are coming!" and shut the door.
So then he says to his nephew "it's okay now, the dogs can't open the door to get to us, they can't open the doors with their paws. The only thing that can get us now are the DOGS WITH HANDS!"

and RIGHT then Robert (this other guy who was on his way over to hang out or whatever it was they were doing) starts banging on the door, and it scared the shit out of that kid.

He also does this weird thing where he calls Mars "the red moon."



by the way, thanks for showing me this. It's freaking awesome. It reminds me though, is there a topic about the old Dougal Dixon books? I don't know if it's old news that they are all online, and if not that sounds like something I should really post.